Proofread every page (fresh eyes, not the writer) Check every internal link — no 404s within the site Check every external link — flag any dead links Check all images have alt text Check all downloadable files (PDFs, spec sheets) upload and open correctly Check contact info (phone, email, address) matches Google Business Profile Check social links point to correct profiles

Test in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge — desktop Test on iPhone Safari + Android Chrome — mobile Test on tablet (iPad or Android) Test dark mode if the OS-level preference affects site rendering Run PageSpeed Insights on 3 page types (home, service page, blog post) — LCP under 2.5s Run WAVE accessibility check on homepage — no critical errors Test all forms — desktop and mobile Test search (if enabled) Test navigation on mobile (hamburger menu, close, links work) Test WooCommerce/Shop...

Test 20 random old URLs — each should 301 to the correct new URL Test edge cases: URLs with trailing slash, URLs with query strings, URLs with UTM tags Confirm nothing 302s (should all be 301 permanent redirects) Confirm no redirect chains (A → B → C should be A → C)

Web Design July 15, 2026

The Complete Website Redesign Checklist for 2026

Full 6-phase redesign checklist: audit, planning, build, QA, launch day, post-launch. The exact list I run on every client redesign — printable.

Website redesigns fail for one of two reasons: something got missed in planning, or something got missed at launch. This checklist eliminates both. It’s the same list I run through on every redesign project, laid out phase-by-phase so you can print it, tick items off, and hand it to your team or your developer.

Companion to 5 Signs Your Business Needs a Website Redesign — that guide tells you whether to redesign. This one is how to redesign without breaking anything.

Phase 1: Pre-redesign audit (Week 0)

Data capture

Export current URL list from Google Search Console (Pages report)
Export top 30 ranking pages with their meta title, meta description, H1
Export top 20 traffic pages from GA4 (last 12 months)
Export list of external backlinks pointing to specific pages (Ahrefs, Semrush, or free version)
Screenshot every current page (or use Wayback Machine snapshot) as a reference
Note current Core Web Vitals scores per page type (GSC → Experience)
Note current organic traffic baseline (last 30 days average)
Note current form conversion rate baseline (submissions / sessions)

Content inventory

List every page currently live (home, about, services, blog, resources, legal)
Mark each as: keep as-is, rewrite, merge into another page, or retire
Identify the 3-5 pages that drive most traffic and revenue — these get priority attention
Identify orphan pages (no internal links pointing to them) — most can be retired
Identify duplicate or thin content — merge or remove

Business alignment

Confirm the primary business goal of the redesign (more leads? more ecommerce revenue? better mobile experience? cheaper hosting?) — write it down as one sentence
Confirm the primary target audience — write down 1-2 buyer personas
Confirm the 3 conversion actions the site should drive (quote form? phone call? product purchase?)
Confirm the launch deadline and any hard constraints (event, campaign, quarter end)

Phase 2: Planning + design (Weeks 1-2)

Sitemap + IA

Draw the new sitemap on paper or in FigJam — every page and where it lives in the nav
Confirm URL structure for every page (preserve existing URLs where possible)
Plan the primary navigation menu (5-7 items max)
Plan the footer structure (contact, secondary nav, legal, socials)
Decide on breadcrumbs (recommended for anything over 15 pages)
Decide on internal search (needed for 30+ page sites)

Design system

Choose primary + secondary + accent colors (3 color max for the base system)
Choose 1-2 fonts (heading + body; can be the same face in different weights)
Set typographic scale (heading sizes, body size, line height)
Design 8-10 core component styles (buttons, cards, forms, tables, callouts)
Design mobile version of every layout, not just desktop
Get sign-off on homepage + one service page + one blog post mockup before proceeding to build

Content plan

Rewrite the homepage copy (usually needed — old copy rarely fits new design)
Rewrite the top service pages (aim for 800-1500 words each, benefit-led)
Rewrite the about page (short is better than long)
Update all metadata (title, meta description, OG image, Twitter card)
Plan first 3-5 blog posts to launch with the new site (optional but powerful)
Source new images (product photos, headshots, hero shots) — stock is a last resort

Phase 3: Build (Weeks 3-5)

Hosting + platform

Choose hosting appropriate for the platform (managed WP host for WordPress, Shopify for Shopify)
Set up staging environment on a subdomain (staging.yoursite.com)
Install SSL certificate on staging
Set up automated daily backups from day one
Set up email SMTP if the site sends forms (SendGrid, Mailgun, SecureSMTP)

Build fundamentals

Build the design system components first (buttons, cards, forms)
Build page templates before individual pages
Optimize images at import: WebP format, 2x display size max, `loading=”lazy”` for below-fold
Load only the fonts and weights you actually use
Defer non-critical JavaScript
Inline critical above-the-fold CSS
Add `fetchpriority=”high”` to the LCP hero image

Forms + integrations

Rebuild every form on the site with under 6 fields where possible
Test form submission to confirm email delivery works
Set up form spam protection (Cloudflare Turnstile or hCaptcha)
Reconnect any CRM, email marketing, or booking tool integrations
Test each integration end-to-end (form → CRM entry → notification)

SEO fundamentals

Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math
Set meta title and meta description on every page
Set canonical URLs
Generate XML sitemap
Add robots.txt (allow all + link to sitemap)
Add Organization + LocalBusiness schema to homepage
Add FAQPage schema to service pages with Q&A blocks
Add Article schema to blog posts
Add BreadcrumbList schema site-wide
Set up 301 redirect map for any URLs that changed

Phase 4: Pre-launch QA (Week 5-6)

Content review

Proofread every page (fresh eyes, not the writer)
Check every internal link — no 404s within the site
Check every external link — flag any dead links
Check all images have alt text
Check all downloadable files (PDFs, spec sheets) upload and open correctly
Check contact info (phone, email, address) matches Google Business Profile
Check social links point to correct profiles

Technical QA

Test in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge — desktop
Test on iPhone Safari + Android Chrome — mobile
Test on tablet (iPad or Android)
Test dark mode if the OS-level preference affects site rendering
Run PageSpeed Insights on 3 page types (home, service page, blog post) — LCP under 2.5s
Run WAVE accessibility check on homepage — no critical errors
Test all forms — desktop and mobile
Test search (if enabled)
Test navigation on mobile (hamburger menu, close, links work)
Test WooCommerce/Shopify checkout end-to-end (if applicable) — test order

Redirect map QA

Test 20 random old URLs — each should 301 to the correct new URL
Test edge cases: URLs with trailing slash, URLs with query strings, URLs with UTM tags
Confirm nothing 302s (should all be 301 permanent redirects)
Confirm no redirect chains (A → B → C should be A → C)

Phase 5: Launch day (Day 0)

Final pre-flight

Take a final backup of the current live site (in case rollback needed)
Take a final backup of the staging site (the version going live)
Confirm client sign-off in writing
Confirm launch window (usually low-traffic hours, e.g., Tuesday 6-10am local)

Cutover

Update DNS records to point to new hosting
Update site URL in WP Settings → General (or Shopify domain settings)
Force SSL renewal on new host
Test the top 20 URLs manually on real devices
Test 5 forms with real submissions
Test checkout with a real (refundable) order if ecommerce
Confirm analytics is firing (GA4 Realtime should show your visit)
Resubmit sitemap in Google Search Console
Use GSC URL Inspection tool to request indexing of top 10 pages

Post-launch monitoring (first 48 hours)

Check Uptime Robot or equivalent every 4 hours
Check GA4 Realtime for traffic dropoff
Check GSC Coverage report for new 404s
Check email deliverability (send test contact form submission)
Check Google Business Profile — website URL still resolves

Phase 6: Post-launch (Days 1-30)

Week 1

Daily GA4 traffic check — expect ±10% for first 3 days, then baseline
Weekly GSC Coverage check — flag any new 404s
Weekly Core Web Vitals check — confirm green
Address any bug reports from clients or staff within 24 hours

Weeks 2-4

Compare organic traffic vs pre-launch baseline (aim for ±10%)
Compare form conversion rate vs baseline (should be equal or better)
Update backlinks pointing to old URLs where practical (Wikipedia, business directories, guest posts)
Publish 2-3 new blog posts to signal freshness to search engines
Add site to Bing Webmaster Tools if not already there
Update social profile bios to point to key new pages

End of month 1 review

Compare Core Web Vitals: before vs after (should be improved)
Compare organic traffic: before vs after (should be recovering or better)
Compare conversion rate: before vs after (should be equal or better)
Document any remaining bugs or content gaps for phase 2
Cancel old hosting subscription (only after 30 days of stable new hosting)

Free printable version

Everything above fits on 2 sides of A4. Copy this page into Google Docs, format as a checklist, print, tick off as you go. Or ask your developer if they’ll walk you through it before signing.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a full redesign take end-to-end?

Small marketing site: 3-5 weeks. Medium site with new IA + content: 5-8 weeks. Ecommerce with store migration: 6-12 weeks. Timeline is usually gated by client-side content readiness, not developer capacity.

What’s the single biggest reason redesigns lose SEO rankings?

Missing 301 redirects. Every URL Google knows about needs a permanent redirect to its new home, or Google marks the page as 404 within 30 days and rankings collapse. Build the redirect map before launch, not after.

Can I do a redesign myself if I’m handy with WordPress?

Small sites (under 10 pages, no store, no rankings you’re afraid of losing) — yes, if you can commit a full weekend. Medium sites — probably not worth the ranking risk. Ecommerce or ranking-critical sites — hire someone. The developer’s fee usually pays for itself in preserved organic traffic alone.

When should I redesign vs just refresh content?

Refresh content if your site is under 3 years old and only 1-2 things feel wrong. Redesign if the site is 4+ years old, or 3+ things feel wrong, or your industry has moved on visually (contractors and ecommerce brands especially).

How much does a full redesign cost with a professional in 2026?

US pricing: $2,000-$4,500 for a small refresh, $4,000-$8,500 for a full site + new IA, $5,000-$18,000 for ecommerce. Full breakdown: 2026 website design cost guide.

How do I get started?

Send a brief with your current site URL and rough page count. Scoped, fixed-price redesign quote back within 24 hours.

Ready to redesign?

Send a brief with your current site URL, page count, and deadline. Scoped, fixed-price quote back in 24 hours. Full SEO preservation and this checklist included by default.